A minor was chopped to death, almost decapitated, in downtown Belize City, Friday, May 14, allegedly by an infuriated taxi driver.
Anthony Lord, 17, of Mile 17, Western Highway, Hattieville, was murdered at approximately 12:40 a.m.; his murderer is presently still on the run.
The police report that Lord was walking on North Front Street, Belize City, and upon approaching the intersection of Queen Street and North Front Street, in front of King’s Music Store, he was attacked by the taxi driver who inflicted the fatal chop wounds.
Lord suffered two chop wounds to the back of the head, and one chop nearly took off his head. Lord succumbed to the injuries shortly after.
Lafaye Lewis, 25, of a Belize City address and Lord’s sister, told Amandala: “My brother was trying to catch a taxi with some friends (along with her boyfriend), but for some reason the taxi driver didn’t want to stop for them, so one of his friends stoned the cab.”
According to Lewis, this was when the taxi driver became extremely angry, got out of his car and, armed with a machete, set chase after the group.
Lord refused to run from the pursuing taxi driver, saying, “Yo know what, I no di run, cause I no do nothing.”
Lord apparently had a bad foot as well, and would not be able to run properly anyway, due to a gunshot wound he had sustained about a year ago.
Lewis said that that was when the taxi driver ran up to her brother and chopped him on the back of the neck.
“My brother was a nice and loving young man. …He was very protective of his family,” Lewis said. “They chanced my brother because they caught him from back-on,” said another of his sisters, Reba Usher, a resident of Mile 17, Hattieville.
“The last time I saw Anthony was on Tuesday, May 11; he had packed up a bag of clothes because he said he was going to live in the City for work. …He was supposed to come back up [to Hattieville] on Wednesday, but didn’t return,” Usher said.
Usher also told us that Lord had been offered employment at Bottom Dollar, located on North Front Street, and was supposed to have started working on the same day of his murder.
Police Press Officer Sergeant Fitzroy Yearwood told Amandala: “The taxi driver is still wanted.”